Download Current Issues in Environmental Science

Chabot College
Fall 2003
Course Outline for Ecology 12
CURRENT ISSUES IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Catalog Description:
12 – Current Issues in Environmental Science
3 units
Identification of problems created by humans’ modification of their environment. Examination of human
population growth through history, resource use, and pollution. Introduction of fundamental concepts of
matter, energy, and ecology with emphasis on application of these concepts to a range of contemporary
environmental issues. May be offered in Distance Education delivery format. Ecology 10, 11, and 12 may
be combined for a maximum of 4 units. 3 hours
Prerequisite Skills:
None
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:
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describe cultural changes, human population growth, and the impact humans have had on the
environment through history;
discuss major environmental challenges facing modern societies and explain why environmental
concerns have recently become so prominent;
describe the laws of energy and energy transformations by autotrophy and heterotrophy in food
chains;
describe the levels of organization of matter and recycling of matter;
compare ways that organisms interact within and between populations;
describe the process of natural selection and explain how it causes evolution and speciation to
occur;
explain how communities change through ecological succession;
explain how humans have increased the natural rate of extinction and compare methods used to
maintain biodiversity;
describe genetic engineering and explain how it can affect natural environments;
compare resource use in industrialized and less developed countries;
describe water, soil, mineral, food, land and air resources; list types and sources of pollution and
their impact on these resources;
list types of solid and hazardous wastes and pesticides; describe their impact on the
environment;
identify the causes and impact of global warming, acid deposition, and loss of the ozone layer;
compare the supply, cost, and environmental impact of fossil fuels, nuclear energy and
renewable sources of energy;
discuss sustainable use of resources.
Course Content:
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Human Population
a.
human population growth
b.
population control
Environmental challenges
Ecosystems and Energy
a.
laws of matter and energy
b.
properties and changes of matter
Trophic Levels
a.
energy flow
b.
recycling matter
c.
food chains and webs
Chabot College
Course Outline for Ecology 12, page
Fall 2003
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Interactions between organisms
a.
types of interactions
b.
Gause's competitive exclusion principal—exotic species
Succession—fire issues
Evolution
Natural Selection and Speciation
Biodiversity
a.
endangered species
b.
controversy about the Endangered Species Act
c.
wildlife management
Genetic Engineering
Water Resources
a.
water problems and water rights
b.
pollution
c.
sewage treatment
Soil Resources
a.
characteristics of soil
b.
soil organisms
c.
loss of soil—new Dust Bowls
d.
soil pollution
Mineral Resources
a.
types and uses of mineral resources
b.
1872 Mining Act and its impact on mining today
c.
conservation of minerals
Land Resources
a.
land use
b.
timber issues
c.
public lands management
Food Resources
a.
origins and growth of agriculture
b.
world agriculture systems
c.
first and second Green Revolutions
d.
sustainable agriculture and organic farming
Pesticides
a.
types and uses of pesticides
b.
problems caused by pesticides
c.
Integrated Pest Management
Solid and Hazardous Wastes
a.
sources and types of waste
b.
managing solid and toxic waste
c.
Love Canal and Superfund
Global change of the atmosphere
a.
global warming-Kyoto Protocol
b.
acid deposition
c.
loss of ozone layer
Human use of energy resources
Sustainability
Methods of Presentation:
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CD-ROM
Internet - the internet will be used as follow:
The Blackboard website will be used to manage the course - assignments, updates, and current
events will be posted. Students will be directed to specific websites for virtual fieldtrips, research,
class assignments, etc. For example, when studying human population growth, students will be
directed to the United Nations Population fund websites where a press summary of the 2001
report on the state of the world population is located. The Blackboard website will be used for
student/instructor communication as well as student/student discussion of current issues.
Chabot College
Course Outline for Ecology 12, page
Fall 2003
3
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1.
Typical Assignments (can be submitted on-line)
a.
Biogeochemical cycles review
b.
"Timber or Trees" paper on old growth forests
c.
Genetic Engineering review
2.
Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a.
Quizzes
b.
Midterm examinations
c.
Final examination
Textbook(s) (typical):
Environment, Raven and Berg, Saunders Publishers, 3rd edition, 2001 Ecology
12 CD-ROM, D. Howell, 2001
Special Student Materials:
None
Revised: 11/6102